Posts in Category: METRO Red Line

The answer to this ‘Good Question’ comes in response to customer inquires about fares on the METRO Green Line.

Fares on the METRO Green Line will match existing fares on the METRO Blue Line, METRO Red Line and local bus routes. That means adult customers will pay $1.75 to ride during off-peak hours and $2.25 to ride during rush hour (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).

Seniors (65+), youth (ages 6- to 12-years-old) and Medicare card holders pay 75 cents to ride a regular route bus or train during non-rush hours. Those fares will also be unchanged for the Green Line. Customers traveling within Downtown Zones in Minneapolis and St. Paul will be able to ride for 50 cents. (See a complete fare chart here.)

As is the case with the Blue Line, customers transferring between the Green Line and a connecting bus route, Blue Line or Northstar train will be able to continue their trip without paying an additional fare provided it is taken with 2 ½ hours of the initial fare payment (additional fare may be required if a higher fare is required for the second portion of a trip). More than one-third of those who will ride the Green Line are expected to arrive by a connecting bus route.

The fare structure for Metro Transit’s planned network of arterial Bus Rapid Transit Lines, including the A Line (Snelling Avenue BRT), is also slated to match that of local routes and the METRO network.

Like any good organization, Metro Transit lays out a set of annual goals and carefully tracks its own progress. Halfway through 2013, it's safe to say we're on the right track.

Ridership is up, customers are happy and buses and trains are running on time. While there's more work to do, these positive takeaways from our own mid-year review give us and our customers reason to celebrate.

Here’s a quick scan of how Metro Transit is faring on its top 2013 goals.

> Grow ridership. After a record year in 2012, Metro Transit is on pace to reach its goal of 82 million passenger boardings this year. Overall ridership is ahead of last year and Northstar Commuter Rail is experiencing the fastest growth in its nearly four-year history, with ridership up more than 15 percent through the end of June. Average weekday ridership surpassed 3,000 customers in the month of June for the first time. Ridership on express and urban buses also continues to see steady growth.

> Improve customer satisfaction. Nine out of ten customers rated Metro Transit’s service as “Good” or “Excellent” in a customer survey completed earlier this year. Customers are as likely to recommend Metro Transit to their peers as some of America's most popular and recognizable brands, including Apple, Jet Blue, Verizon and Costco. More than half of Metro Transit bus customers say they have used transit for more than five years, a good indication that once a customer gives us a try, they tend to stick with us.

> Enhance safety and security. We're proud to have received two key safety accolades -- the Transportation Security Administration’s Gold Standard and the American Public Transportation Association’s Gold Award for Bus System Safety. A safety campaign was also named “Best of Show,” by the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators. As the Metro Transit Police Department continues to grow, we believe Metro Transit will continue to serve as a national model for transit safety and security.

> Improve operational reliability. Despite a protracted winter, disruptive spring storms and ongoing construction, buses are running on time for 89 percent of trips. ​Although weather and traffic are not within our control, pulling buses out of garages on schedule is. Bus pull-outs have been on time 997 of every 1,000 trips so far this year. Northstar commuter trains are operating on time for more than 95 percent of trips. With the receipt of 12 additional light rail vehicles for METRO Blue Line operations, we’re now able to run all three-car trains during our busiest times.

> Promote energy conservation and environmental stewardship. Metro Transit's buildings and bus garages are being made more efficient through retrofits while employees continue to reduce their personal energy use through simple habits like turning off their computers at the end of the workday. The use of clean soy-based biodiesel fuel blends is also expanding in the bus fleet, with testing of 20 percent blends now in progress. More hybrid buses are being added to the fleet while Metro Transit's and the new light rail vehicles appearing on tracks are lighter and more energy-efficient.

> Support and foster transit-oriented development. Development along the METRO Blue Line continues to advance, with more housing and retail space coming online. At Nicollet Mall Station, Nic On Fifth is rising out of the ground directly east of the LRT platform. The 253-unit apartment building will be the first skway and LRT-connected apartment project in Minneapolis history. New housing, offices and retail developments are also emerging along University Avenue and the University of Minnesota as the METRO Green Line's mid-2014 opening approaches.

> Recruit, retain and develop a diverse and talented workforce. A historic hiring effort to bring more than 100 new bus drivers on board is nearing completion, allowing some longtime operators to transition into new roles on the METRO Green Line. Metro Transit's Police Department is also growing to meet the demands of an evolving transit network. Nearly 20 new officers were sworn-in in April. Both the new drivers and new officers reflect our riders' diverse backgrounds.

> Be a visible and respected presence in the community. Through open houses, social media (more than 25,000 now follow us on Twitter or 'Like' us on Facebook), customer advocate engagements and other outreach efforts, Metro Transit is listening to its customers in an effort to improve its service. We're is also making an effort to share more news and better connect with customers through this new Rider's Almanacblog.

> Advance the development of new transitways. Now 93 percent complete, the METRO Green Line is coming to life with overhead wires, tracks and stations. Near Target Field, the Interchange transit hub is also taking shape, setting the stage for the METRO Green Line extension from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie and other regional transit improvements. Minnesota's first Bus Rapid Transit service, the METRO Red Line, launched in June with promising early returns while preparations for the next evolution of bus service, Arterial Bus Rapid Transit continue to evolve.

Minneapolis customers are likely familiar with the METRO Blue Line’s service to the Mall of America and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. But there’s an equally-convenient transit option St. Paul residents can use to reach the same destinations: Route 54.

Buses stop in downtown St. Paul and along West Seventh Street before crossing the Mississippi River and making their way to Bloomington. In total, it takes 24 minutes to get from downtown St. Paul to the airport, equal to the time it takes to go from downtown Minneapolis to the airport on the METRO Blue Line.

Nicki Beyioku is among the Metro Transit customers who have come to rely on Route 54 as a quick way to get to the airport and avoid paying for parking. Heading out-of-state this week, she left her car at her downtown St. Paul office and boarded the bus at Fifth and Minnesota streets, a practice she repeats six or seven times a year.

“I could call a friend, but this is just so convenient,” she said.

Route 54 isn’t just about getting the airport or Mall of America, though. St. Paul residents can board Route 54 for just 50 cents in St. Paul’s Downtown Zone, accessing major entertainment venues like the Xcel Energy Center and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

With several stops on West Seventh Street, Route 54 also offers access to small businesses, restaurants and employment centers along the growing commercial corridor. Among the major developments now taking place on West Seventh Street is the reuse of the Schmidt Brewery, which is being converted into nearly 250 live-work spaces for artists.

Home to streetcars until 1952, transit service on West Seventh Street has gradually expanded in recent decades.

A limited-stop predecessor to Route 54 beganin the mid-1970s. Then, buses made just two stops on West Seventh Street. When the Mall of America opened in 1992, Route 54 was created to run every half-hour. Weekday service moved to 15-minute intervals in 2004. In August, buses will begin running every 12 minutes to accommodate increasing ridership.

The additional service has led to a growing customer base. Customers boarded Route 54 nearly 1.4 million times in 2012. By 2030, an estimated 7,000 passengers will board each weekday – up from around 4,000 weekday boardings today.

After the changes, buses would begin running every ten minutes between the Mall of America and downtown St. Paul on West Seventh Street during peak periods and with greater frequency during nights and weekends.

The state has already dedicated $5 million to the planned station improvements, and another $3 million in federal funds for buses and technology. There are hopes to obtain another $15 million so that construction can begin in 2015 and completed by 2016.

Improvements at four key downtown St. Paul stops, including the station at Fifth and Minnesota streets, are also planned. Designs are still in the works but are expected to include features such as real-time signs, heated shelters and ticket vending machines. The hope is to complete the improvements before the METRO Green Line opens next year, enhancing connections between bus and light rail service.

The station improvements in downtown St. Paul are being funded by a $2.6 million federal grant, a portion of which is also being used to build a vertical connection between the Green Line's Central Station and the St. Paul Skyway system. The Metropolitan Council on Wednesday awarded a construction contract for the vertical connection to PCL Construction services; work is to begin later this year and be complete before the Green Line's mid-2014 opening.

Route 54 At a Glance

Type: Urban Local (Limited-stop)

Service: Route 54 is part of Metro Transit's Hi-Frequency Network, with service at least every 15 minutes during peak periods. Buses travel between the Union Depot, in Lowertown St. Paul, and the Mall of America Station in Bloomington. At the Mall of America Station, customers can connect to the METRO Blue Line and the METRO Red Line. Route 54 stops at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International, Terminal 1-Lindbergh, and at five locations on West Seventh Street. Route 54 is also part of St. Paul’s Downtown Zone, with 50-cent fares.

Ridership: Nearly 1.4 million customers boarded Route 54 buses in 2012. Since 2004, ridership has grown from about 1,800 weekday and Saturday rides to more than 3,800 daily rides.

History: Limited-stop service in this corridor was launched in the mid-1970s. When the Mall of America opened in 1992, Route 54 began offering service every half-hour seven days a week. Weekday service moved to 15-minute intervals in 2004 and buses were re-routed to West Seventh Street, replacing Route 69.

Future: West 7th Street is among the corridors under consideration for Arterial Bus Rapid Transit, which would expand service in the corridor up to every 10 minutes during peak periods. Infrastructure improvements such as enhanced station areas, real-time signs, off-board ticket vending equipment and low-floor buses are also envisioned.

For the last four years, Lisa Nguyen-Gaulke has relied on the METRO Blue Line to reach her job in downtown Minneapolis, a trip she estimates takes half the time she’d spend commuting by car from her Standish-Ericsson home.

Nguyen-Gaulke also uses the Blue Line to get to Twins games or other weekend events and as an easy connection to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Combined with their bikes, Nguyen-Gaulke’s use of the Blue Line allowed she and her husband to downsize to a single vehicle two years ago.

“It makes a big difference, especially with gas as high as it’s been recently,” Nguyen-Gaulke said this week.

Nguyen-Gaulke is among a growing number of residents who – nine years after the Blue Line’s opening and more than 30 years since it was first envisioned – have come to see light rail as an integral part of their daily lives.

As the Blue Line marks another anniversary today, here's a quick snapshot of how the state's first light rail line is performing and a look at what is yet to come.

> Ridership is exceeding expectations. Nearly 10.5 million customers boarded Blue Line trains in 2012, a record number of passengers for the 11-mile light rail line. Ridership levels have been trending nearly 30 percent ahead of projections for the year 2020. In Metro Transit's 2012 Customer Survey, 60 percent of respondents said they were on their way to work; 15 percent were running errands and 9 percent were on their way to school. Riders said they chose transit because they had no access to a vehicle, wanted to avoid stress and avoid gas and parking expenses. More than 42 percent of passengers have ridden for more than five years and more than 90 percent rated service as “good” or “excellent.”

> Development is surging. At the north end of the Blue Line, housing and office projects are planned or underway in the North Loop and near Target Field. Directly adjacent to the Nicollet Mall Station, a 26-story apartment building is rising from the ground -- the first high-rise in Minneapolis in 30 years. Plans to add offices, green space and apartments near the site of the new Vikings Stadium are taking shape. East of the 38th Street Station, a 180-unit apartment building, Longfellow Station, is nearing completion. And in Bloomington, plans for a 50-acre transit-oriented development around the Bloomington Central Station are taking shape as the Mall of America continues to expand.

> Connectivity is growing. With the opening of the METRO Red Line last weekend, customers in the south metro have access to a frequent, all-day service connecting to the Blue Line at the Mall of America Transit Station. In 2014, the METRO Green Line will provide light rail passengers with a convenient connection to St. Paul and the University of Minnesota. When the Interchange transit hub adjacent Target Field opens next spring, connections between transit services, including the Northstar Commuter Rail line and bus service, will further improve. Future connections include the Snelling Bus Rapid Transit Line, which would run from the 46th Street Station and along Snelling Avenue to Rosedale Center, and the Green Line Extension, which would run light rail between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie.

> Service will continue to improve. A dozen new light rail vehicles have been added to the Blue Line fleet in the past few months, providing service with all three-car trains during peak periods and special events. The vehicles are designed to be more energy-efficient and comfortable for passengers. Planned streetscape improvements on Hiawatha Avenue will make the corridor more inviting to pedestrians and bikers. And reconfigured traffic signal technology will help move traffic more quickly along Hiawatha Avenue. A growing police force will provide additional law enforcement presence throughout the entire Metro Transit system.